Driven by a housing crunch and high cost of
living, new poll shows 70 percent of knowledge workers would move
from major cities if they could perform their jobs at the same
level
They were drawn to big cities by the bright lights and career
prospects. Now, beset by a housing crunch and high cost of living,
more than half of professionals living in U.S. cities are ready to
leave. According to a new study commissioned by Citrix Systems,
Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS), 70 percent of knowledge workers living in urban
locales say they would move to outlying areas if they could perform
their jobs at the same level. And as the battle for talent heats up
around the globe, companies need to follow them and enable remote
work.
“Traditional work models, where work is organized around a hub
like a call center or office building, are fundamentally broken,
creating a frustrating employee experience and exacerbating the war
for talent,” said Tim Minahan, Executive Vice President of Strategy
and Chief Marketing Officer, Citrix. “People today want to work
where they want to work. And to attract them, companies need to
rethink what the workplace means and create a more flexible way to
work that enables them to get the right people in the right places
to unlock innovation, engage customers and move their business
forward.”
Conducted by OnePoll, the Citrix study sought to understand how
location impacts job satisfaction and success and the role that
flexible and remote work can play in enhancing both. Among the key
findings:
The bright lights of big cities have dimmed
Of the 5,000 knowledge workers across the U.S. surveyed a
majority see major cities as a key catalyst for their careers due
to the large number of employers operating within them, the
availability of more highly skilled job opportunities and higher
salaries.
The benefits of city dwelling are diluted by the
costs
But the price of these opportunities is becoming too high to
pay. More than half of those polled (58 percent) cited the costs of
city living as “crippling.” And as a result, they’re ready to
move.
- 70 percent of workers currently living
in cities stated they would be very likely/fairly likely to
consider relocating to suburban or rural areas if they knew their
professional life wouldn’t suffer and they could still perform
their role to the same level
The talent crunch is real
And it’s among the biggest pain points companies currently face.
Of those who participated in the OnePoll survey, 31 percent
indicated that sourcing talent for skilled positions is an issue in
their organization and 18 percent suggested it’s likely to become
one in the next five years. Many are taking steps to try to attract
a broader range of talent including:
- Increasing wages for skilled roles (36
percent)
- Actively promoting diversity
initiatives to encourage applications from a range of backgrounds
(28 percent)
- Investing in education and training
programs, outside of city locations (20 percent)
To attract and retain talent, companies need to go where it
lives
But the real ticket to finding and keeping people lies in
enabling flexible and remote work.
- 85 percent of respondents believe they
could do their job just as effectively from anywhere
- 62 percent of those not already working
remotely believe that they could work away from the office at least
one day per week
And they see a number of positives in doing so:
- 69 percent say working remote would
enable them to be more productive and focused
- 83 percent think it would enable them
to strike a healthier work-life balance
- 77 percent indicated they could save
money by reducing commuting costs
The future of work is happening today. But it needs to happen
faster
Companies are beginning to embrace the notion that to get the
people they want and need to make their business go, they’ll need
to rethink the traditional workplace and employee experience. To
this end:
- 35 percent of respondents say they are
introducing better flex/remote work policies, to widen the talent
pool, and
- 31 percent are searching for talent
nationwide, including in rural areas
Old technology is stifling new ways of working
But to bridge the talent gap and drive competitive advantage,
they need to pick up the pace. Only 33 percent of workers polled
currently work remotely at least one day per. What’s holding them
back?
- Connectivity was cited as a key
challenge by 58 percent of respondents who said the current quality
of broadband negatively impacts their ability to reliably work from
home
“Technology can be a great equalizer. Unfortunately, in many
areas there remains a clear divide,” Minahan said. “It’s time for
companies to reimagine the way work gets done and leverage tools
that are readily available to them to create digital workspaces
that give people the flexibility to work when, where and how they
want and be their most productive. In doing so, they can not only
narrow the technical divide, but create a world-class experience
that enables their employees and business to thrive.”
Methodology
Citrix commissioned a survey of 5,000 U.S. office workers that
hold positions which could be carried out remotely. These are most
likely to be knowledge workers who effectively think for a living.
The research was conducted online by polling company OnePoll
(www.onepoll.com) in March 2019.
About Citrix
Citrix (NASDAQ:CTXS) is powering a better way to work with
unified workspace, networking, and analytics solutions that help
organizations unlock innovation, engage customers, and boost
productivity, without sacrificing security. With Citrix, users get
a seamless work experience and IT has a unified platform to secure,
manage, and monitor diverse technologies in complex cloud
environments. Citrix solutions are in use by more than 400,000
organizations including 99 percent of the Fortune 100 and 98
percent of the Fortune 500.
For Citrix Investors:
This release contains forward-looking statements which are made
pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933 and of Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements in this
release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. Those
statements involve a number of factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially, including risks associated with the
impact of the global economy and uncertainty in the IT spending
environment, revenue growth and recognition of revenue, products
and services, their development and distribution, product demand
and pipeline, economic and competitive factors, the Company's key
strategic relationships, acquisition and related integration risks
as well as other risks detailed in the Company's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Citrix assumes no obligation to
update any forward-looking information contained in this press
release or with respect to the announcements described herein. The
development, release and timing of any features or functionality
described for our products remains at our sole discretion and is
subject to change without notice or consultation. The information
provided is for informational purposes only and is not a
commitment, promise or legal obligation to deliver any material,
code or functionality and should not be relied upon in making
purchasing decisions or incorporated into any contract.
© 2019 Citrix Systems, Inc. Citrix, the Citrix logo, and other
marks appearing herein are the property of Citrix Systems, Inc. and
may be registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in
other countries. All other marks are the property of their
respective owners.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005036/en/
Media Contact:Karen MasterCitrix+1
216-396-4683Karen.master@citrix.com
Citrix Systems (NASDAQ:CTXS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024
Citrix Systems (NASDAQ:CTXS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024